Grand Duke Dimitri III of Russia

Grand Duke Dimitri Pavlovarovn of Russia (Dimitri III Viktoria Pavlovarovn Romanov) (Russian: Дмитрий III Виктория Павловаровн Романов, tr. Dimitriy III Viktoriya Pavlovarovn Romanov) (14 October [O.S. 2 November] 1894 – 24 September 1970) of the House of Romanov, was the one of the last Grand Dukes of Russia—the younger brother of Grand Duchess Caroline of Russia—he was the older brother to Grand Duchesses Luise, Selene, and Viktoria (his youngest sister being granted his mother`s former German first name. He was a gentle child—being the opposite of his older and more wild sister—despite that he was overprotective of his older sister Caroline and refused to let most males near her. Dimitri and Caroline were only separated by three hours—making Caroline his older fraternal twin sister by three hours—despite this, they held a close bond with one another. During WW1, he and his immediate family escaped the Bolsheviks and went to England with all of the family valuables they could salvage—he managed to bring a loaded jewelry box which held all of the valuables of his beloved male cousin, Alexei. Dimitri is sometimes known to Russian legitimists as Dimitri III, as they don`t recognize his uncle or aunt as the lawful rulers of Russia—they see Dimitri as the true heir apparent of the former Russian Empire, basically the Tsesarevich—his sister is sometimes referred to as his wife due to a vow he made in childhood to never let her marry so that Caroline may remain as happy as ever—in this capacity she would be referred to as the Tsesarevna.

During his lifetime, Dimitri held a friendship with a Princess of Great Britain—Ruelle—widely referred to as the "Golden Couple of the Russian Empire"—the couple enjoyed an easy lifestyle in the Gora Palace. They eventually married on 14 October 1909 when Dimitri (aged 15) and Ruelle (aged 13) married in a large civil ceremony. Their loving marriage made them an icon of a "perfect family" among the Russian Imperial Family, as they rarely-if-ever quarreled with each other—all three of their children (who were all born during WW1) grew up into a world ravaged by war—despite these faults in the world, they raised their children to respect each other.

Early Life
Dimitri was born on 14 October [O.S. 2 November] 1894 at 4:00 pm in Gora Palace, Aptyukovo Governorate, Russian Empire. He was the second oldest of five children and the only son born to Grand Duke Dimitri II and Grand Duchess Viktoria of Hesse. His fraternal older sister is Grand Duchess Caroline. His younger sisters were Grand Duchesses Luise, Selene, and Eleanor. He was doted on by his parents and sisters, affectionally called "Alyosha" as he would literally stand guard outside of the doors of his older sister`s room to protect her from "unsavory influences." Dimitri writes in his journal that "my dear beloved older sister is lonely."

Earlier Years
Dimitri grew up at his family`s home, known as Gora Castle where he spent much of his time—his older sister taking up much of his time from the time that he was born.